Santorini

It seems to me that every picture I've ever seen of Greece was taken in Santorini. The rugged coastline, royal blue Mediterranean Sea, narrow cliffside streets and, of course, the WHITE buildings were all so beautiful and so Greece! Santorini is a Greek Island formed by a volcano. One thing I was not expecting was the arid, desert terrain of the island. There was barely any vegetation... a few small shrubs (most of which looked dead), brown grasses, some potted palm trees, other tropical plants and, of all things, tomatoes (apparently grown without being watered).

 

We spent the afternoon and evening exploring the town of Fira, population 2000. Cruise ships are not able to dock at this port so guests are tendered to shore by boat taxis. I was amazed at the color of the water up close... it's such a bright royal blue and very clear, I've never seen anything like it! From the dock, we took a quick cable car / gondola to get us up to the town. From there, we just explored by getting away from touristy shops and discovering hidden gems! It was a fun day in Greece!

- Julia

P.S. This boy was in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We met the hosts of the director, who insisted I get a picture with this little guy haha.